Afghanistan crisis live updates: 'Afghan evacuee flights halted from two key bases'

Australia has taken in more than 3,500 evacuees from Afghanistan, mostly women and children, after the Taliban overran the country last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. An international airlift began on Aug. 14 as the Islamist militants arrived at the gates of Kabul, having already captured most of the country. As part of that effort, Australia evacuated 4,100 citizens and Afghans with visas, though some with dual nationality chose to go elsewhere. Many of those evacuated were transferred to the United Arab Emirates to await relocation to Australia, and Morrison said the last flight arrived late on Wednesday on the last leg of an escape from "one of the most desperate and most dangerous parts in the world".

Pakistan says Qatar's foreign minister will arrive in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. In a statement, Pakistan's foreign ministry said Qatari chief diplomat Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during his day-long visit Thursday will meet with Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other top officials. It said Pakistan and Qatar enjoy close, cordial ties. "The two countries closely collaborate on regional and global issues of common interest," the statement said.

The US department of homeland security says about 60,000 people have arrived in the country since August 17 from Afghanistan as part of the evacuation formally known as Operation Allies Welcome. DHS said in the latest updated released Wednesday that 17% of those arrivals are US citizens and permanent residents who were in Afghanistan when the government there fell to the Taliban. The remaining 83% are a mix of people. They include those with Special Immigrant Visas, for people who worked as interpreters or in some other capacity for the US or NATO. There are also other visa holders as well as applicants for visas who have not yet completed their processing. The remainder are various types of "vulnerable" Afghans who would be threatened under the Taliban, such as women and human rights advocates.

Foreign countries greeted the makeup of the new government in Afghanistan with caution and dismay on Wednesday after the Taliban appointed hardline veteran figures to an all-male cabinet, including several with a US bounty on their heads. As the newly appointed ministers and their deputies set to work after they were named late on Tuesday, acting Premier Mohammad Hasan Akhund urged former officials who fled Afghanistan to return, saying their safety would be guaranteed.

When thousands of Afghans hoping to escape the incoming Taliban regime were cut off from Kabul airport last month, many started searching for alternative ways to flee. Hundreds made a daring dash for the airport at Mazar-i-Sharif -- a city some 300 kilometres (185 miles) to the north on a route that had become punctuated with Taliban checkpoints. Some managed to board charter planes crowdfunded by individuals and businesses, but many others are still waiting for permission. "Several hundred more are waiting in Mazar-i-Sharif," said Nama Vanier, from development and research firm Sayara, who has secured private funding for two Airbus A340 passenger jets for 680 Afghans.

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has taken to Twitter to say his flight from Kabul on August 15 was done to save Afghanistan's capital from bloodshed. He says his security personnel advised the secret departure, which opened the gates of the city to a Taliban takeover. Ghani also denies widespread allegations of corruption and claims he left the country with millions of dollars. He says there should be an independent investigation. Ghani's sudden departure has been widely criticised both in Afghanistan and abroad. Washington blamed Ghani's flight and the government's collapse for a Taliban takeover ahead of a negotiated deal.

Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United States who left her post in July, is clearly horrified by the Taliban takeover of her country. But she is not surprised. In an interview, Rahmani accused the former US-backed government in Kabul of a failure to lead the country and of widespread corruption that ultimately paved the way for the Taliban's victory last month. She also warned the United States, still smarting from its defeat, that the rise of the Taliban would have far-reaching geopolitical consequences. "I, as an Afghan, was not surprised by the fact that the Taliban took over Afghanistan the way they did and how quickly they did, partly because of the lack of leadership by the Afghan government that was in place at the time," Rahmani said.